Computing systems often include electronic devices that are controlled by device drivers that run on host computers. Generally, device drivers are software programs that translate data that is generated at the host to commands that are recognized by the associated device. Device drivers often receive input at graphical user interfaces that represent the available options and features as text and graphic images, which are displayed on video monitors linked to the host. Users control the device from the host by entering data at the user interface.
Electronic devices offer a wide variety of options that operate according to user selected settings. For example, digital printers usually have media in various sizes, weights and orientations, which are stored in different output trays and users are allowed to request the size and type of output media that is used to print the job. Some drivers show the current status of the available options, which allows users to avoid submitting print requests with requested output that is not currently available to the printer. For example, a printer driver may list all of the types of paper that can potentially loaded into the media trays with an indicator next to the paper sizes that are (or are not) currently stored in the available trays.
Electronic device also offer “features” that automatically combine options to perform a desired function. For example, a printer may offer a “booklet” feature that sequentially captures images and provides creates duplex output with multiple images printed on a single sheet of paper. Such a feature may require automatically reducing the size of the input images and drawing paper from a particular media source, such as, for example, a tray that will feed paper having the selected size and weight into the machine in the appropriate direction. Quite often, whether a device feature is available will depend upon the condition of two or more device options. For example, the above described booklet feature may require an operable image reduction option and a sufficient amount of the selected type of media to be stored in a tray that feeds paper into the printer in the “long edge feed” direction.
Some device drivers enable users to separately check the condition of the available options. Unfortunately, device drivers to not currently enable users to access the location of the driver where device features are selected to determine whether the current condition of each required device option will actually enable the user to operate the feature. Accordingly, if the user does not identify every option that is required to use the feature and check its condition s/he will run the risk that the job will not print or that if it prints it will print incorrectly.
It is preferable to be able to provide information about an electronic device feature at the location of the device driver where the user enters the settings for the feature.